Woman, Life, Liberty: Offside
Feminist Cinema From Iran
“Jafar Panahi of Iran is one of his country's great filmmakers, and Offside is his best movie to date.” - Chicago Tribune
Offside
Dir: Jafar Panahi
91 Minutes
2006
Persian with English subtitles
Offside follows a handful of women who have separately dressed in disguise and snuck into a critical soccer match between Iran and Bahrain, where women aren’t allowed. Rounded up fairly quickly, they’re kept in a holding pen on one of the stadium’s outer ramps where three soldiers keep guard. The film was partially shot during the actual game it depicts, and offers blatant critique of Iran’s patriarchal society. Banned in Iran.